Killed my ST6, need a new headlamp.

Just killed my Spark ST6 tonight after having some switch issues. Tried to disassemble it and resolder some of the wires, but ended up damaging the circuit board a little. It's probably repairable, but this just gives me a reason to buy a new headlamp anyway.

So...I haven't been keeping up too much with the latest developments, but I need a replacement for the ST6. Overall I was pretty happy with it and I could just buy another one, but I figure might as well look at what's new. I'm looking for something that can do double duty as a headlamp and flashlight

Some of the requirements

1 x 18650, the ability to use 2 x CR123 is nice
no external battery packs
not too wide of a beam
at least as bright as the ST6 (500 lumens)

So essentially, I want something like the ST6, but better. Right now, the ones that I like are the Fenix HL55, Spark SG6, Zebralight H600 and Armtek Wizard. I think I prefer the first two, I think the Armtek might be too much of a flood pattern plus I don't like the switch location. thinking the right angle design and switch placement of the SG6/H600 would be nice when using handheld, but it's not a hard requirement. The zebra light looks promising but honestly I just think it's ugly, but I could live with it. Which light has the most throw? Is there a screw in reflector for the SG6 and how does the beam pattern compare to others with it? Any other suggestions?

I have 2 SG6's, one CW and one NW. I ended up buying the CW because I like the CW better for work but love the NW for running and hiking. My H600 had the lens shatter and I have no idea what it hit in my bag to do that. I actually prefer the SG6 over the H600 with the only bad thing being the length. I have to use only certain cells because the Nitecores are too long and I can't screw on the cap. As for the reflector I have it on 3 of the 4 I have and prefer it. The beam is then close to the H600.

I have the ST6, H600w and SG6 with reflector, the ZL had the most throw. That is my all time favorite light. I have the H600fw as well and will usually go for my H600w most camping trips or outdoor excursions because of it flexibility

I had a ST-6. Replaced it with a SD-6. The SD-6 had better run times but is a wider beam (which I love). I also own a Wizard Pro. It is more throwy than the Spark and they make a non-wide throw version which would I guess be even less flood. I don't think you could go wrong with either Wizard version. I would recommend the Wizard for your requests of not being too floody. It's still floody enough to work up close but it's not pure flood.

InTheDark said:

Right now, the ones that I like are the Fenix HL55, Spark SG6, Zebralight H600 and Armtek Wizard. I think I prefer the first two, I think the Armtek might be too much of a flood pattern plus I don't like the switch location. thinking the right angle design and switch placement of the SG6/H600 would be nice when using handheld, but it's not a hard requirement.

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The switch position on the wizard is excellent when used as a headlamp, but perhaps less ideal when used otherwise. I think the best solution to that problem, is to buy a handheld with a switch position you like when used in hand, and buy a headlamp with a switch position you like when used as a headlamp.

The zebra light looks promising but honestly I just think it's ugly, but I could live with it. Which light has the most throw? Is there a screw in reflector for the SG6 and how does the beam pattern compare to others with it? Any other suggestions?

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Yes the SG6 has a (optional) screw in reflector (purchase separately), and when using it, it will have more "throw" than most floody headlamps, but is still a very wide beam. My understanding is that the optional screw-on reflector that can be put on the SG6 (as well as a number of other spark headlamps), is smaller than the reflector found on the H600 and ST6.

If I had to put them in order (rough approximation)..

^ throw/lux ^

H600
ST6
HL55
SG6 w/reflector
WIzard
H600F
H602
SG6

Give or take a ranking position on everything.

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I am surprised to hear you are after throw for a headlamp. There are only 2 cases where I would want a tight beam on a headlamp:

1. The headlamp is weak in terms of lumen output, and needs a tight beam profile to make use of the few lumens it has for general task lighting.

2. The headlamp is bright, (modern ~400+ lumen capable), but is being used in an enviroment where it is competing with other strong ambient lighting, requiring a tight beam pattern to produce very high lux on a specific subject.

Using a headlamp with a tight beam pattern, can cause a tunnel vision effect that can lead to disorientation and clumsiness in dark environments. The combination of a floody headlamp like the wizard (or floodier), with a handheld flashlight with a more traditional beam pattern for spotting purposes is typically the best illumination "system."

mdocod said:

I am surprised to hear you are after throw for a headlamp. There are only 2 cases where I would want a tight beam on a headlamp:

1. The headlamp is weak in terms of lumen output, and needs a tight beam profile to make use of the few lumens it has for general task lighting.

2. The headlamp is bright, (modern ~400+ lumen capable), but is being used in an enviroment where it is competing with other strong ambient lighting, requiring a tight beam pattern to produce very high lux on a specific subject.

Using a headlamp with a tight beam pattern, can cause a tunnel vision effect that can lead to disorientation and clumsiness in dark environments. The combination of a floody headlamp like the wizard (or floodier), with a handheld flashlight with a more traditional beam pattern for spotting purposes is typically the best illumination "system."

Click to expand...

3. bicycling ?

I was doing some plumbing in a drop ceiling today with my H600fw and found it to floody. The back scatter prevented me from seeing my work area very well. I switched to a ST6-460NW with a clear lens, it's a fairly tight beam for a head lamp, I was able to see without being blinded by my own light. I have also found that working in snow, mist or light rain a tight beam is much better. The Spark's give you the option of changing the beam profile without buying two different lights.

Thanks for all the help. I'm surprised and happy to hear that the zebra light has more throw than the ST6. From the looks of it the reflector seemed shallow, so I thought it would be similar to the SG6, but already 2 people have mentioned it so I guess it's true. That's why I love this forum, you can't get this type of feedback in reviews. Looks like I'll be ordering a H600 MKII (I'm assuming that's the newest version?) I was able to get my ST6 working again, but it'll be relegated to a backup light now.

I know really wide flood beams are the in thing right now, but for me, I like headlamps with more throw. Just personal preference I guess, it's what I've gotten used to all these years and I find it more useful for my purposes. I use(d) the ST6 in a variety of roles, for night hiking/night photography, travel, camping, off-roading, exploring, crawling in the attic or under the house, car repair, dog walking, even as a night light for my kid. There are probably a hundred more uses I can't even remember, I don't think I even realized how much I used it until I broke it. In some of those situations, maybe a floody headlamp might be more practical, but at worst having a narrower beam is a minor inconvenience. The problem is if you need the throw, then a flood beam is useless and there's nothing you can do to compensate. I tried using the frosted lens on the ST6 (until it shattered) and even removing reflector completely, but didn't like the results. Especially when working on cars, where I thought having a broad beam would be better, I found that it actually made things harder. When objects are a different level such as in an engine compartment, the difference in foreground lighting vs deeper down is a lot more drastic with a flood beam and makes it very difficult to "penetrate" to the deeper levels. Or when crawling under a house and the dust gets kicked up, the flood beam creates that "wall of light" effect that doesn't work very well to see across the house.

D6859 said:

3. bicycling ?

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I would say that the loss of peripheral vision caused by using "throwy" headlamps on a bike could be extremely dangerous depending on the situation. Forward lighting for transportation requires careful design considerations and compromises to maximize safety.

I think if I were trying to maximize safety on a bike, given my riding history/style... (which I admit, is not something I ever went out of my way to do at night, and not something I have any interest in getting into at this time, as I no longer have a bike and our recreation money is tied up in other interests) ...I would want a proper forward lighting system on the bike itself. Such a system, should have very little in the way of a "defined" hot-spot (which could lead to dangerously narrow tunnel vision), rather, should be more like car or motorcycle low-beam headlights. A broad, controlled area of light that is carefully projected in a manner to produce relatively even lux on subjects at all ranges within the intended useful range of the beam. (yes, it would be a focused light, but not like a traditional flashlight, at all).

I would probably wear a headlamp in addition to using the forward lighting system described above, but it would likely be a relatively floody headlamp that I would be using for 2 purposes.

1. Illuminate the area around and under the bike when negotiating obstacles (like those pesky park benches, curbs, large rocks, etc that "can't be avoided" unless you're of sane mind and capable of riding around them)

2. provide illumination to support peripheral vision to prevent branch-to-face injury.

YMMV.

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Taz80 said:

I was doing some plumbing in a drop ceiling today with my H600fw and found it to floody. The back scatter prevented me from seeing my work area very well. I switched to a ST6-460NW with a clear lens, it's a fairly tight beam for a head lamp, I was able to see without being blinded by my own light.

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Using a "beam" to create the *relative* high lux only on the specific subject requiring high visual acuity, comes with compromises. As we focus down that beam on our work, our eyes will adjust, and we develop tunnel vision that actually requires the intensity of that beam for continued visual acuity. When it comes time to find a tool we set down, we then have to "sweep" the area with that center beam that our eyes are adjusted to.

Always compromises. Certainly, personal preferences and situations will vary. Yes there are situations where a tight beam profile is the best compromise.

I have also found that working in snow, mist or light rain a tight beam is much better. The Spark's give you the option of changing the beam profile without buying two different lights.

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A headlamp is not an ideal choice of illumination in fog/snow/rain or dust/dirt regardless of beam profile.

Moving the light source OFF our head, and into our hand, held down low, should be the first priority whenever possible in these conditions. Yes, tighter beams are best here, especially those with more precisely gathered light (TIR or other optical system to minimize "spill" beam intensity to relatively low levels).

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InTheDark said:

Thanks for all the help. I'm surprised and happy to hear that the zebra light has more throw than the ST6. From the looks of it the reflector seemed shallow, so I thought it would be similar to the SG6, but already 2 people have mentioned it so I guess it's true.

Click to expand...

"Give or take a ranking position on everything. "

I have not found any concrete evidence to guarantee that the H600 has more throw than the ST6. I was able to dig up a number of comparisons that had some other "common" comparisons in them, and use a bit of 2x2=4 to guesstimate that the H600 is in the ballpark of having a similar beam profile, and would likely wind up overcoming the ST6 with raw lumens and thus producing higher center beam lux, however, that is a guesstimate, which is why I said the "rankings" are give/take a notch. Either way, the H600 MKII is a strong headlamp with a traditional reflector generated beam profile.

I'm not just using the tight beam to put high lux on the work area, I'm using it to avoid back scatter/glare that will prevent me from seeing the object I'm working on. Moving the light source off your head is better under some conditions, unless you need two hands to work with and have no other place to put it. Like when you are working in a muddy pit or on a ladder.

I've had my H600 for about 2 weeks now, and so far I'm really happy with it. Still getting used to the UI, I'm so used to the Spark interface that I confuse them. The beam is pretty similar to the ST6, maybe a bit narrower with a steeper falloff, but nothing a little frosted tape can't fix.

One thing I'm still getting used to is the offset beam. At far distances it isn't noticable, but when using the headlamp in close quarters, like an engine compartment, the offset head is noticeable. Not sure if that's a problem yet, but it seems like i adjust the position a lot more than with the ST6. That and the lack of the protruding central lens means my hair sometimes gets in the way of the beam, i have to be a little more careful when putting it on.